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The Little Match Girl

From Andersen's Fairy Tales, by H. C. Andersen

This story was written by Hans Christian Andersen, the Danish author whose fairy tales have been read for generations. It was first published in the mid-nineteenth century. The story reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. Andersen wrote to stir compassion and illuminate the harsh lives of the poor in his time. This tale has endured because it asks us to see suffering we might overlook and to remember that kindness matters, especially to those who have nothing.

Band

Green · Independent readers, earlyTypical starting range: ages 9–11

Length

medium · about 791 words in 5 sections · 3 pictures

Source

Andersen's Fairy Tales, H. C. Andersen

First published

see the About page in the reader

Regions

Canada · United States

Included formats

• · Web reader and PDF
• · EPUB for e-readers
• · Home-print sheet
• · Folded booklet
• · Binder edition (8.5 × 11)
• · Worksheet
• · Quick Check (10 questions) with answer key
• · Read-aloud script
• · Teacher’s Edition (members)

Readers are engineered from the original public-domain text with AI under HummingRead’s published canon and Content Philosophy, checked by automated audit and sampled by a person. Pictures are made with AI to HummingRead’s brief for each story. How a reader is made.

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